Whispers in the Night (Jedi Palpatine | Obi-Wan | Qui-Gon | 2nd Update on 23rd )

Well, I've been tinkering with this idea for a while now, and finally decided to post it here to see what people thought of it. This is my first big fic, guys (and girls), so please be nice.

It takes place in a parallel universe and in the TPM Era.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. This is all Uncle George's universe, and I'm only playing.

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The lightsaber blade lingered in the air, throwing the floor beneath it into eerie blue shadows. Obi-Wan Kenobi panted heavily, sweat running down his face in beads that reflected his blade a thousand times. His face was calm and focused, betraying none of the gloomy feelings he felt within.

His master stood in front of him, quiet and ready, not even out of breath. Considering that Ren Palpatine was one of the galaxy?s most renowned swordsmen, and a master who had at least half a century more experience than him, Obi-Wan should have been very proud of himself for being able to hold out on his own against Palpatine for this long.

But the only thing that the young apprentice felt right now was an indelible sense of failure.

As soon as some semblance of order returned to his breathing, Obi-Wan jumped up, slicing through the air in a sideways flip, holding his lightsaber down in such a way that it would have knifed right through Palpatine?s head if all went well. At least, it would have in a real duel.

Palpatine, unfortunately, was more than ready for it. He swiveled his green blade up to intercept Obi-Wan?s, somehow incredibly managing to maintain with one hand the same pressure that Obi-Wan did with his entire body.

The two lightsabers crackled and hissed as they met, creating a brilliant glare that forced Obi-Wan to pull back his lightsaber and end his jump a little prematurely. As a result, he landed right behind Palpatine, less than a foot away. All that his master had to do right now to end this fight was to?

?Don?t turn around!? Obi-Wan gasped, even as he scrambled backward.

He needn?t have worried because Palpatine wasn?t about to end this mock-duel just yet. The master turned only when Obi-Wan was a safe distance away, until he was not in any danger of having to intercept his blade.

?Good,? said Palpatine. ?You are focusing.?

He waited for Obi-Wan to come and attack him, but Obi-Wan refused to do so, wanting to spend some time working on his defense skills. Instead, he used the precious few minutes before Palpatine realized that he had to go on the offensive to satisfy the burning need in his lungs.

Then, the two were off once more, exchanging blows and counter-blows faster than the speed of light.

The room that they were fighting in was large and very sparsely furnished, making it the ideal place to stage mock-duels. A couple of chairs sat at the edge of the room, near a window?chairs that had to be repaired often (or sometimes replaced, after particularly nasty fights). They were there for the convenience, most often, of the apprentices.

?The Force is a powerful ally, Obi-Wan,? Palpatine intoned as he blocked off yet another blow. ?Let it help you.?

Obi-Wan felt his throat constrict in dryness. He hadn?t even realized until now that his mouth had gone dry. He grimaced in frustration. No matter how hard he tried, using the Force while fighting Palpatine was simply something he could not do. With fellow apprentices, it was quite easy, a second-nature; but with Palpatine (or any other Jedi Master, for that matter), it was an almost impossible task.

?Beware of your feelings, Obi-Wan. They lead you astray,? Palpatine said as he threw his lightsaber in an arc around Obi-Wan?s ankles. Obi-Wan jumped upward, and was immediately forced to swing his lightsaber down to protect his stomach.

?Don?t let your emotions rule you.?

?What emotions?? Obi-Wan asked through gritted teeth, as he was steadily pushed back. At this rate, he would find himself pinned against the wall. Obi-Wan quickly double-flipped over Palpatine?s head.

His danger sen

 

You must post more. MUST. This is a very interesting premise, and I like the way you write. I really wonder what's going on.

 

Thanks oboana. I should have another post up soon, so stay tuned.

 

this is interesting. keep it up. so palpatine is obi-wan's master. why is qui-gon not his master. and if palpatine is a jedi then who is the sith master?
This is great keep going

 

I didn't explain it because I didn't want to ruin the surprise. Sorry. This is a different universe that includes the same characters. It's just that they have different roles. I watched Phantom Menace recently, and realized how uber-cool Palpatine is as a Sith. So my crazy mind wondered how he would be as a Jedi, and this is what turned up.

If Palpatine isn't the Sith, then who is? Well, that's the question, isn't it?

 

?Padawan!?

Palpatine struggled to not lose conscious himself as he caught his apprentice and lowered him gently onto the floor. The tremors in the Force had become Herculean and Obi-Wan was not used to feeling such intense disorders. His still young, and relatively untrained, mind was forced to yield to the pressure of the disturbances.

?Padawan??

Obi-Wan didn?t respond. Palpatine took hold of his chin and shook his face, hoping that he would see some signs of life return to him. But Obi-Wan?s face remained impassive, his head moving limply as he moved it.

Palpatine quickly pulled out his comlink, though it was a whole another minute before he got through a transmission channel, for his fingers kept fumbling over the switches and dials. Finally, he managed to punch in all the right buttons, in the right order, and opened a transmission to the healers.

It took longer than usual for the call to be picked up on the other end. Palpatine supposed, hoped, it was because the healers were affected by the same tremors that he and Obi-Wan were affected by.

?Healer Vedoda here?? a shaky, female voice began.

?This is Palpatine,? he said quickly. ?My apprentice??

?No disrespect intended, Master Palpatine, but the tremors were quite strong, and it is entirely possible that your apprentice would be feeling nauseous and sick right now,? cut in the healer. She sounded distracted.

?Yes, but see?? Palpatine tried again.

?I?m sorry, Master Palpatine. We have several patients here who have been affected by the tremors quite seriously. Their condition is becoming serious. So, if you don?t mind??

?No, don?t cut me off,? Palpatine screamed into the comlink. Anger. He released a deep breath, trying to calm himself. Anger was not the path of a Jedi. Hadn?t he just told his apprentice that he shouldn?t allow emotions to rule him? But he couldn?t help it. Here he was with an unconscious apprentice, calling for help, only to be pushed aside.

?Nausea and vomiting sensation are quite common??

?My apprentice is not suffering something as trivial as nausea,? Palpatine said in a calmer voice. ?He is unconscious.?

There was a pause. Then, the healer asked, ?Unconscious??

Palpatine nodded even though the healer couldn?t see it. ?Yes.?

?We?ll send someone over right away,? the healer said. ?Where are you??

The Jedi Master quickly gave her the location, and ended the transmission. He tried to use the Force to see if he could help Obi-Wan any, but he had never been much of a healer. At any rate, every time he tried to use the Force, the tremors only interfered, disrupting not only his connection to the Force, but also other parts of his mind.

He waited impatiently for the healers to arrive, wondering what could possibly be taking them so long. He paced the floor, wishing he could release his anger and impatience into the Force. He was known for his patience, but there was only so much patience that even he could summon. Obi-Wan had always been one of those few ?things? that made him afraid, lose his patience. Act like a Sith, Palpatine finished heavily.

He didn?t leave until the healers came in and took Obi-Wan. After seeing Obi-Wan safely admitted into the healers? ward?he didn?t really think Obi-Wan was seriously wounded, mentally or physically, but he wasn?t entirely certain, either?before he headed to the room where he felt Yoda?s luminous presence. He hoped the diminutive Jedi Master had some idea about the origin and cause of this disturbance.

On the way over to Yoda?s quarters, Palpatine met Qui-Gon Jinn and Mace Windu, both of whom were also heading the same place he was.

The difference between Mace and Qui-Gon was like day and night. Other than that they were both Jedi, they had almost nothing in common.

Qui-Gon was tall, with long, brown hair that was starting to gray from age, and azure eyes. He was something of a rebel among the Jedi, constantly questioning (if not openly, then in his own mind) the actions of the Council in relation to the will of the Force

 

I will be posting one more time before going to bed. It is a little short, but I guess I had to break it there. Hopefully, I haven't scared off my readers by the last post. Was it boring or something?

 

Obi-Wan stared at the gray ceiling for a long time before he realized that he was awake. He recognized immediately where he was, of course. He was in the Healers? ward. Obi-Wan didn?t know if he had some sort of attachment to this place, for he sure spent a lot of time here; so much time, in fact, he would have been able to navigate around for a refresher blindfold.

He gingerly stretched into the Force, hoping that the tremors were gone. They were, but the residue was enough to make Obi-Wan gasp for breath. He worked his way into the Force gradually, getting deeper into the mystical energy a little at a time.

Before he did any acts of bravado, he wanted to check to make sure he was all right. When he finally was deep enough into the Force to take an inventory of himself, he was relieved to find that there was nothing wrong with him, though he felt a little weak.

He probably shouldn?t be getting out of bed, but Obi-Wan had always hated the infirmary, and wouldn?t stay here a second more than he had to, not if they gave him a million credits.

Cautiously making to the edge of the bed, Obi-Wan tested his weight on his feet, and, when they seemed to hold just fine, let go off the bed and started toward the door, wondering what had happened. He had never felt such a strong disturbance in the Force, and was eager to find out from his master its cause.

He made it to the middle of the room before the door opened, and Palpatine and Qui-Gon entered, the former wearing his typical, ?I knew it? look, the latter looking relieved.

?I thought you might be eager to get out of here, Padawan,? said Palpatine, ?and have taken the liberty to volunteer you to go on??

?A mission?? Obi-Wan asked, surprised and happy.

He had been stuck in the Jedi Temple for so long, he almost forgot what it was like to be out in the open, under adverse conditions. His limbs missed action. Palpatine narrowed his eyes.

//A Jedi does not crave adventure, Padawan.//

Obi-Wan blushed at the mental rebuke, while Qui-Gon pretended to be extremely interested in the readouts from the machine next to Obi-Wan?s bed.

?Does this have to do with the disturbance?? Obi-Wan asked to fill in the uncomfortable silence.

Palpatine nodded. Obi-Wan sighed, realizing that his master wasn?t about to give any details. At least, not right now. It was no use asking Palpatine what he was thinking when he didn?t want to disclose his thoughts. In some areas, his master was absolutely inflexible.

?When do we leave??

?As soon as possible: An hour, two at the most.?

Obi-Wan nodded. ?I?ll be ready by then.? He looked at Qui-Gon, wondering what he was doing here. Obi-Wan knew that Qui-Gon was Palpatine?s friend, but the way he lingered here told him that there might be another reason why he was here.

?Master Qui-Gon,? Palpatine explained, ?will be joining us for the mission.?

?Ah!? said Obi-Wan. ?I see.?

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Palpatine and Qui-Gon were waiting when Obi-Wan finally made it to the ship, which was already powered up and ready to go. The two Jedi Masters were talking to Master Windu, and didn?t seem to notice his arrival.

Obi-Wan opened his mouth to make his presence known, but the mention of his own name stopped him short.

? ? I still don?t think you should be taking Obi-Wan, Ren,? Mace Windu was saying. ?The boy somehow manages to visit the healers? ward every week even when he is in the Temple, and you know the Temple is one of the safest places in the galaxy.?

?No, Mace,? Palpatine refused stoutly. ?Obi-Wan?s coming. I know the danger involved, and believe me, if I thought it was too high to take a risk, then I would not have let him come with me. But I?m simply not going to make him stay behind because we are treading an unknown path.?

Mace closed his eyes in frustration and nodded in silent defeat. Obi-Wan knew that the master was speaking only out of concern, but it still hurt him to think that Master Windu thought he wasn?t capable

 

No, it wasn't boring. More like a set-up post.

If I may suggest, you can change the title part of your story by editing the first post. That lets readers know its been updated.

Anyway, I can't wait to see where this is going. And I'm very interested in seeing the relationship between Obi-Wan and Palpatine. Its not something I have ever pictured.

More please!

[EDIT] Gah! We posted at the same time. Great post!

 

I like this story so far. It's a great twist to have Palpatine as Obi-Wan's master..let alone a Jedi! I can't wait to see where you take this!

 

Thanks Lieutenant_Page and oboana. I'll do that. I should most more soon, though you probably aren't here this early in the morning.

 

They pulled out of hyperspace four days later, in the middle of nowhere. Obi-Wan veered the ship over a gigantic plain of white and green; it was a small ship and didn?t need a copilot. Jinn and Palpatine stood behind him, Palpatine with his hands on Obi-Wan?s shoulders.

?Something is interfering with the satellite signals,? Obi-Wan said to no one in particular. ?I?m getting nothing.? As if to confirm him, the computer started bleeping loudly, flashing red. All the readout screens were blank, with an occasional blip emerging here and there.

When he got no response, Obi-Wan looked up at the masters. Both of them were staring out the viewport at the planet, and didn?t look as if they had heard him at all. There was a faraway look in their eyes, as if they were trying to see more than what lay before them.

Obi-Wan turned back to the viewport. He was rather reluctant to stretch into the Force, mainly because the tremors had been getting stronger the closer they got to their destination. He didn?t want to become unconscious again and be an onus to his master. What he feared more was that Palpatine would see some truth in Mace?s words, and start rethinking about his faith in his apprentice.

He didn?t want to fail his master.

So he settled in to wait, for either of the Jedi Masters to speak.

?I feel presences,? Qui-Gon said finally, still looking at the planet. ?Many presences.?

Obi-Wan caught his breath. ?S-Sentient?? he asked, looking at him.

Qui-Gon nodded and Obi-Wan, after giving his master a questioning look (which was ignored), turned back to face the space and the planet beneath. An uncomfortable silence fell in the ship, in which no one saw it fit to say anything.

Obi-Wan had spent the four days in hyperspace learning as much as he could about the planet (though there hadn?t been much to learn). For a moment, he thought that maybe he didn?t read them all properly, and consequently missed something, but then realized that that wasn?t possible. After all, Qui-Gon and Palpatine wouldn?t be this shocked if they had already known that a civilization populated this Ralicais.

?Should I go?? Obi-Wan asked.

?Slowly,? said Palpatine. He pointed in a direction. ?Away from the populated parts. We don?t want to scare them away.?

?Good idea,? Obi-Wan muttered as he decreased speed and slowly piloted the ship toward the planet, in the direction that Palpatine pointed. He hoped that the planet?s people didn?t have satellite dishes or radar.

Their ship gave a weird jolt as it hit the atmosphere, but that was to be expected. Thick, impenetrable fog swiveled around their ship, making it impossible for them to see anything. But Jedi didn?t have to rely on their eyes.

Obi-Wan hesitated, but Palpatine tightened his grip on his shoulder, sending a wave of comfort, and the young apprentice recklessly dived into the Force.

It wasn?t as bad as he had expected it to be. The tremors were still present, but just barely so. Obi-Wan suspected his master was neutralizing their effect on his brain, and he was truly grateful for it.

He turned and twisted the ship in the direction that the Force told him to, decreasing the speed further as they neared the ground. The mists didn?t clear up until Obi-Wan had landed the ship on the ground (though not without slight thud that nearly threw the Jedi Masters to the floor), and even when they did, they couldn?t see much.

Unstrapping himself, he swiveled his chair around to face Palpatine and Qui-Gon. ?Are we still going??

?Yes,? said Palpatine firmly. ?Our mission is to find out what is causing the disturbances and it is quite clear that the disturbances are originating from Ralicais.?

?The fact that there is a population here changes everything,? Qui-Gon said quietly. ?Actually,? he added, almost as an afterthought, ?it explains the tremors somewhat. I would have been very surprised if Ralicais had been uninhabited.?

?Why?? Obi-Wan asked in surprise.

?Simply because I don?t think that we would feel it even if a forest

 

Ewww..snow.

I"m not sure if I should be suspisious of Palpatine or not He'll always be a sith to me

 

Yeah, I don't like snow, either.

Hee, hee. You never know. Just because Palpatine is a Jedi doesn't mean he isn't a Sith.

 

Palpatine shivered as a chilly breeze swept past him, setting his robes fluttering behind him. His apprentice stood near the ship, scanning the surroundings petulantly, trying, in vain, to stay clear of the snow flakes. The young teenager was wrapping his robes so tightly around himself, he nearly tore the fabric.

Palpatine knew that Obi-Wan was reluctant to use the Force to protect himself from the wind, possibly out of the fear of dropping dead again, and he could sympathize with that.

He frowned slightly, thinking. He was going to have to teach Obi-Wan how to raise shields strong enough to keep out even the most intense Force-quakes, but now was not the time. He only hoped that Obi-Wan would not find himself dependent on the Force for his life.

He frowned harder. It didn?t do well for a Jedi to speculate (especially negatively) the future. If he wanted to find a reason to worry about what might happen in the future, he would always to be worrying. The Jedi were always in troubling situations, and nobody could tell when one wouldn?t return from one.

An unbidden idiom rose in his mind, one that Qui-Gon was quite fond of using. If Palpatine hadn?t known better, he would have though that Qui-Gon himself invented it: ?Don?t focus on your anxieties. Keep your concentration here and now, where it belongs.?

The old master smiled softly as he looked around for Qui-Gon. But he was nowhere to be seen. Just as Palpatine was about to stretch into the Force to find his presence, Qui-Gon came out of the ship, holding a satchel in both his hands.

?Food. Good idea,? Palpatine heard Obi-Wan say as he walked over. Qui-Gon jumped down the last few inches of the ramp, and then waved his hand almost casually. The ramp started retracting.

//Well, Padawan, considering that you?re always hungry, I suppose that you should be thankful that Master Qui-Gon remembered to?// Palpatine began playfully, but stopped when Obi-Wan slammed down his shields so that no communication via the Force was possible.

If Palpatine wanted to be really nasty, he could always ?override,? so as to speak, Obi-Wan?s shields?after all, he was a Master , and Obi-Wan, a Padawan ?but he decided to let it be for the moment.

Instead, he turned his attention to Qui-Gon.

?Ready?? he asked.

The other nodded, thrusting the satchel into Obi-Wan?s arms. While the apprentice watched, the two of them got to work.

The two Masters closed their eyes and stretched out their hands in front of them, touching the hull of the ship. Concentrating through the Force, they worked up a mental image of transparency around the ship, Palpatine taking the back portion of the ship and Qui-Gon taking the front portion. Since they were Jedi, they would always be able to feel the ship, and later revise the illusion as needed, but none of the others would be able to see it. At least that was how it was supposed to work in theory.

Palpatine, for his part, had seen too many things go wrong, and didn?t believe in theory anymore. He wouldn?t have minded leaving the ship as it was, without adding any illusion, but he didn?t think Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan would be that happy.

When Palpatine and Qui-Gon opened their eyes, they found themselves staring at the trees. The ship was completely gone. Obi-Wan had hung the satchel around his neck, with the heavy end bumping against his back, and was now looking curiously at the trees.

?At least something has gone right,? Palpatine said.

?Yeah,? Qui-Gon agreed, fervently pulling up his hood. Snow was settling in on his long hair, making it wet. The part of his robes near his shoulders and neck was already a darker tint than the rest, and clung to his body in an apparently irritating manner.

?Obi-Wan?? Palpatine called, turning around from the disguised ship when he didn?t answer.

His apprentice was standing at the edge of the clearing, staring in between the trees and through the bushes as if he expected something to pounce at him any instant now.

?Padawan?? Palpatine walked

 

I will be posting more soon. I have the entire story planned out, and I think the idea is good, but I don't know how my writing style is. Maybe it's bad or something because nobody seems to want to read it.

 

I like your story Keep it up!

 

Thanks Lieutenant_Page. I am trying to write the next post right now, and hopefully will be able to update one more time before today.

 

*is happy this has been updated*

I'm really wondering why Obi-Wan slammed down his shields - I don't know why, but that's bugging me more than the weird vines are.

More please.

 

Thanks oboana. I am hoping to update soon, but I don't know if I'll be able to. Well, Obi-Wan slammed down his shields because he's had enough of Palpatine's teasing. I guess I was trying to show that what ... yeah. I forgot, I can't tell you. Hee, hee.

 

?What the??? Qui-Gon and Palpatine jerked around.

What Palpatine saw made his heart leap into his throat.

Obi-Wan was lying on the ground, his legs trashing awkwardly in front of him, his hands grasping something that had wrapped itself around his neck. He was being dragged backward, quite literally, into a grove of bushes.

Whatever it was that was holding Obi-Wan in its clutches, it was in those bushes.

Palpatine rushed forward, yanking his lightsaber into his hand and thumbing it on. Qui-Gon did something similar, but he was slower than Palpatine?or rather, Palpatine was faster, because it was, after all, his apprentice that was being strangled.

Obi-Wan?s face was screwed up in shock or fear (or both) as he tried to pull the ?thing? away from his neck. But it appeared to have a particularly strong grasp, and didn?t seem to want to let go. Obi-Wan?s hands thumped onto the ground as he lost his grip, and Palpatine was finally able to see what it was that was strangling Obi-Wan:

A vine, one quite similar to the one that lay spiraling a tree, one that they had watched until now.

Palpatine?s breath caught in his throat as he saw that the vine was twisting around. While the tree might have had special properties to protect itself from flames, Obi-Wan certainly didn?t have any such powers.

?Obi-Wan, throw it away!? Qui-Gon shouted from beside Palpatine, obviously coming to the same conclusion.

Palpatine hovered near Obi-Wan, trying to find a clear opening so that he could cut the vine. Unfortunately, with the vine constantly moving around, added to Obi-Wan?s twisting and turning, he found it almost impossible to get anything near a clear shot.

Cunning. This planet was cunning. It could think.

Suddenly seeing the part of the vine that was snaking out of the bushes, Palpatine shoved his lightsaber down. The blade sliced through the vine as effortlessly as it sliced through the air.

He sighed in relief as the vine darted back into the bush.

That was before he saw that a part of vine was still clutching Obi-Wan?s throat tightly.

No! Palpatine thought in frustration, in fear. There was no way he was going to be able to cut that vine with his lightsaber.

Throwing the weapon down onto the ground, he slumped down onto his knees and tried to help Obi-Wan pull the vine away. His apprentice?s face was quiet blue already and was becoming more so by the minute.

?Come on, come on, come on,? Palpatine intoned as he tugged at the vine with all his strength.

It just wasn?t working. It didn?t work, not even when Palpatine and Qui-Gon pulled at it together. The vine had an extraordinary strength.

?Reminds of me of leeches,? Qui-Gon muttered sarcastically, as he tried to shove his fingers underneath the vine, and get a firm grip on it. That only made it tighten its grip further more.

?Aah!? screamed Obi-Wan.

And then, green liquid started gushing out of the plant.

 

Well, I'm taking a break for today. The first post tomorrow is where the fun is going to start -- at least I think that's where the fun starts. Our heroes (+/- Obi-Wan) meet some unexpected guest.

 

*blinks* Very interesting. I can't wait to see where this is going . . . I keep saying that!

Well, great post!

 

Yeah, you do keep saying that. Thanks so much oboana. I feel motivated to write when I look at your replies, knowing that at least one of my readers is interested enough to keep coming back.

 

Wow. [face_shocked] Palpatine is a Jedi and, that too, Obi-Wan's master?

Why don't I join obaona and say I want to know where this is going?



Aunecah